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15 May 2017

NEXOGON: Dragon’s head and scaling technique

Our next post from Gabriel Thomson (qi_tah on Flickr) for our parts festival describes the results when he tried using LEGO® Rotor, W/ 4.85 Hole (Design ID 27255) to create the effect of scales.

One of the first things I thought of when I received the Nexogon parts in bulk was the potential to arrange them in a scale-like pattern. I started off with a ‘spine’ of a single column of parts, and used them to create a dragon-like creature.

I also used the Nexogons in a stacking fashion to form the bulk of the dragon’s neck, with hinge plate 1x4 with swivel top (Design ID 2429c01) connecting the stacked layers allowing me to curve it slightly, for a more organic feel.

The weakest point of the build is the attachment of the spine to the neck column. They are connected only by the modified tiles 1x1 with clip – rounded edges (Design ID 15712) underneath the large spike at the top of the head at one end and the combination of brackets (Design IDs 44728, 99207 and 99781) at the base of the neck at the other. (If the neck were longer, other connection points might also present themselves.) In addition, the protruding Technic hole at the back of the Nexogons tended to get in the way of achieving a tight fit between the two build components.

Then I returned to the single column of scales and tried to move laterally from there.

It is not a particularly robust pattern, and the connections run into trouble the further you try to curve it. The edges also prove hard to integrate into a build without looking rather gappy. Never the less, it is a pleasing pattern and may be useful as a scaffold for rockwork forms in landscaping.

I tried using the scale sheet pattern in a build, but I haven’t come up with a design I liked enough to post… yet! So far, I’ve tried making shoulder armour, an armadillo and a tank. It is a pattern that continues to intrigue me and I’ll probably continue playing with it and seeing what else I can come with.

On the whole I’m quite pleased with the dragon construction, even if it is a bit fragile and looks a little scrappy. It reminds me a little of the ‘Games of Thrones’ Stark family crest, with the stretched out neck giving it a dynamic air. Now I just have to make the rest of the dragon!